БичлэгThe present perfect continuous
Statements | Statements | Questions | Short answer | Short answer |
I have been working | I haven’t been working | Have I been working...? | Yes, I have. | No, I haven't. |
He has been working | He hasn’t been working | Has he been working ...? | Yes, he has. | No, he hasn't. |
She has been working. | She hasn’t been working | Has she been working ...? | Yes, she has. | No, she hasn't. |
It has been working | It hasn’t been working. | Has it been working ...? | Yes, it has. | No, it hasn't. |
You have been working. | You haven’t been working | Have you been working...? | Yes you have. | No, you haven't. |
We have been working | We haven’t been working | Have we been working...? | Yes we have. | No, we haven't. |
They have been working ... | They haven’t been working. | Have they been working...? | Yes they have. | No, they haven't. |
For example
/p>
Q) How long have you been studying English?"
A) I've been studying English for four years."
Note - You can just say "For four years."
Q) How long have you been living in Germany?
A) I've been living here since 1998.
Note - You can just say "Since 1998".
The present perfect continuous is also used to refer to an event that may or may not be finished when it's effect can be seen now.
For example/p>
Look! It's been snowing.
Note - It's not necessarily snowing now but you can see the effect (the snow on the ground).
You should also use the present perfect continuous when talking about how long you have been doing your current job or working on unfinished projects:-
For example:-
I have been working at BT for three years.
We have been exporting to China since 1999.
!Note It is always for a length of time and since a point in time.
The past perfect simple tense is used to go further back in time when we are already talking about the past. It can make it clear that something had already happened at the time we are talking about.
